Prince William and Kate reveal sweet family Christmas card after 'hardest year'

19 December 2024, 14:14 | Updated: 19 December 2024, 14:46

Prince William and Kate have shared their sweet family Christmas card, featuring George, Charlotte and Louis.

The photograph, taken from a video released by Kate in September, shows the family enjoying the outdoors.

It was originally shared as she announced her chemotherapy treatment had ended and her focus was "doing what I can to stay cancer free".

The message alongside it reads: "Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year."

Prince William has said that he had "the hardest year" of his life, branding his experience "dreadful".

It comes just hours after it emerged that he and Kate will not attend the royal family's traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

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The lunch is a private event for senior royals and their wider family who will not be attending Christmas celebrations at the King's Norfolk home.

A royal source said the family are already in Norfolk, as had been planned, and are looking forward to spending time with the rest of the royal family in Sandringham over Christmas.

It comes after it was confirmed the Prince Andrew had also pulled out of the lunch.

He continues to be dogged by his links to an alleged Chinese spy.

It was previously revealed in a High Court hearing that alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK, was said to have been a "close" confidant of his.

Yang Tengbo, who was named after an anonymity order was lifted on Monday, insisted it was "entirely untrue" to claim he was involved in espionage and that he has "done nothing wrong or unlawful".

The businessman, previously referred to only as H6 in the legal case, was the founder-partner of the Chinese arm of the duke's Pitch@Palace initiative, and twice visited Buckingham Palace in 2018 to meet with the late Queen's second son.

He is also said to have entered St James's Palace and Windsor Castle at Andrew's invitation.

On Friday, the duke's office said Andrew "ceased all contact" with the then-unnamed businessman when concerns were first raised about him.